Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 118:15
The voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
15. tabernacles ] Tents, i.e. dwellings (Psa 91:10), unless the reference be to the tents of pilgrims to the feast pitched outside Jerusalem. The rendering ‘tabernacles’ might seem to connect the Psalm with the Feast of Tabernacles, but the word for the ‘booths’ used on that occasion is a different one. The righteous are Israel, regarded in the light of their calling, and contrasted with ‘the wicked,’ the heathen who sought to frustrate God’s purpose by destroying them. Cp. Psa 33:1; Hab 1:13. Psa 118:15 b, Psa 118:16 are the joyous shout of the righteous, and are based on Exo 15:6; Exo 15:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
15 18. The rejoicings of the festival in gratitude to Jehovah for preserving the nation’s life.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The voice of rejoicing and salvation – Rejoicing for salvation; song, praise, thanksgiving. Luther renders this beautifully; They sing with joy for victory in the houses of the righteous.
Is in the tabernacles of the righteous – The tents of the righteous; their dwellings. That is,
(a) it is a fact that the voice of joy and rejoicing is there;
(b) it is appropriate that it should be so, or that a righteous family should be happy – the dwelling-place of praise;
(c) God will add to the happiness of the righteous, or will make their habitation happy, peaceful, blessed.
There is nothing that diffuses so much happiness through a family as religion; there is no joy like that when a member of a family is converted; there is no place on earth more happy than that where a family bows before God with the feeling that all are children of God and heirs of salvation.
The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly – Hebrew Doeth strength. That is, God does great things, laying the foundation for joy and praise.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 118:15-16
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous.
The joy of holy households
A believer in Christ is not long without finding joy. He is in the land which floweth with milk and honey, and he will get a sip of sweetness very soon. Like Nicodemus, he comes to Jesus in the dark, but the sun is rising. This joy is in him and abounds, so that he belongs to a happy people.
I. There is joy in the families of the righteous.
1. To some extent, this is in proportion to the salvation that is found in the family. Many among us can say, All my children are children of God: they go with me from my table to the Lords table: I have a church in my house, and all nay household are in the church. Here is a picture, a pattern, a paragon, a paradise. Seek, then, the salvation of the whole of your household.
2. The joy which is here alluded to is mainly spiritual: a joy of the father, because he is saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; a joy of the mother, because she, too, has had her heart opened, like Lydia, to hear and to receive the Word; a joy of the dear children, as they offer their little prayers, and as they talk of Jesus, whom their soul loves.
3. This kind of joy, while it is spiritual, is not dependent upon external circumstances; it hangs not on wealth or honour. They said of old that philosophers could be merry without music, and I am sure that it is truer still of Christians that they can be happy in the Lord when temporal circumstances are against them. Our bells need no silken ropes to set them ringing, neither must they be hung in lofty towers.
4. Christian joy, whether in the individual or the family, can be abundantly justified. If God is pleased with us, we may well be pleased with Him.
II. This joy should be expressed. The voice, etc. We should put a tongue in our joys, and let them speak. The voice should be heard daily, from morn till eve, and till the silence of sleep steals over all; but it should never fail to sound forth in the daily gatherings for family prayer. It should be a happy occasion when we meet to read the Word of God, and to pray together. It is well if we can also sing at such times. Matthew Henry says, concerning family prayer, They that pray do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; they that pray, and read the Scriptures, and sing a hymn, do best of all. There will be frequent occasions for holy joy in all Christian families, and these ought always to be used right heartily. Holy joy breeds no ill, however much we have of it. You can easily eat too much honey, but you can never enjoy too much delight in God. Birthdays and anniversaries of all sorts, with family meetings of various kinds, should find us setting life to music right heartily. Moreover, it would be well if our houses more generally resounded with song. It drives dull care away, it wards off evil thought, it tends to a general exultation, for the members of a household to be accustomed individually and collectively to sing. If you really cannot sing at all, yet the voice of rejoicing and salvation may be in your tabernacles by a constant cheerfulness, bearing up under pain and poverty, losses and crosses. God give you more and more of this spirit in all your households! The whole Church shall be blessed when every family is thus made happy in the Lord and in His great salvation.
III. This joy of holy households is a joy concerning what the Lord hath done.
1. How we should joy in God, in our families, when we think of all that He has done in conquering sin and Satan, death and hell! Christ hath led captivity captive; therefore, let us sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously.
2. Then let us think of what the Lord has done for each one of us individually.
3. Since then, the Lord has helped us in providence, and delivered us from fierce temptations, and made us to stand steadfastly when the adversary has thrust sore at us that we might fall.
4. And when you see great sinners converted, when the drunkard leaves his cups, when the swearer washes out his filthy mouth, and sings the praises of God, when a hardened, irreligious, sceptical man bows like a child at Jesus feet, should not our families as well as ourselves be made acquainted with it, and should it not be a subject for joy at the family altar? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Domestic happiness
I. Its importance.
1. In reference to our avocations and cares. These are numerous and diversified, and demand relaxation and relief. Who could endure perpetual drudgery and fatigue?–and what so refreshing, so soothing, so satisfying, as the placid joys of home!
2. In reference to the afflictions of life. It looks like a general remedy, furnished by the kindness of Providence, to alleviate the troubles which from various quarters we unavoidably feel while passing through this world of vanity and vexation of spirit. How many little sighing vacancies does it fill up! How many cloudy nervous vapours does it chase from the mind!
3. In reference to the good things of this life. Without this, all will be insipid, all will be useless. Imagine yourselves prosperous in your affairs; trade pouring in wealth, your grounds bringing forth plentifully, your cup running over–misery under your own roof would be sufficient to canker your gold and silver; to corrupt your abundance; to embitter every pleasure.
4. In reference to the seductions and snares of the world. From the danger of these there is no better preservative than the attractions of a family. The more a man feels his welfare lodged in his own house, the more will he prize and love it. The more he is attached to his wife and children, the less will he risk their peace and comfort by hazardous speculations, and mad enterprises in trade.
II. To open its sources, and examine on what it depends.
1. Without order you can never rule well your own house. God is not the God of confusion. He loves order: order pervades all His works.
2. Many things will arise to try your temper: and he is unqualified for social life who has no rule over his own spirit; who cannot bear the frailties of his fellow-creatures with common charity, and the vexations of life with common patience.
3. The influence and advantage of good sense are incalculable. This will preserve us from censoriousness; will lead us to distinguish circumstances; to draw things from the dark situation of prejudice which rendered them frightful, that we may candidly survey them in open day.
4. We must go beyond all this, and remind you of those religious principles by which you are to be governed These are to be found in the Word of God; and as many as walk according to this rule, mercy and peace shall be upon them. God has engaged that if you will walk in His way, you shall find rest unto your souls. If it be said, There are happy families without religion, I would answer–
(1) There is a difference between appearances and reality.
(2) If we believe the Scripture, this is impossible–the way of transgressors is hard: there is no peace, saith my God, unto the wicked.
(3) Religion secures those duties, upon the performance of which the happiness of households depends.
(4) Religion attracts the Divine blessing–and all we possess depends upon its smiles. (W. Jay.)
The happiness o/ the righteous
I. Explain. The joy of the righteous is–
1. Intense.
2. Satisfying.
3. Abiding. You rejoice in that which rust cannot destroy, and which the tongues of men cannot injure.
II. Apply.
1. How miserable is the state of the wicked.
2. How important is vital piety. (C. Clayton, M.A.)
The cultivation of piety
I. True piety has a voice ringing with the note of joy and health. Could we set forth the beauty of its offices, the beauty of prayer, the joyousness of worship, the peace of Divine fellowship; could we restore the bloom of health to its wan countenance; could we put the mountain air end breezes into our religion and make it a strong, healthy, living thing; could we make it a voice of rejoicing and salvation in the dwellings of our land, how grand, how triumphant, how sovereign a power it would become!
II. The place of true piety is the home. We need better homes; homes ruled in the fear of the Lord, where father and mother are prophet, priest and king; homes sweetened by the incense of prayer and worship and well-ordered discipline; homes where the Sabbath is honoured and all needless toil and travelling on the day of the Lord areavoided, and worship and edification as becometh immortal beings are the order of the day; homes where reverence has her abode, and holy beauty and the gladness of Christian faith and charity; homes that are none other than the house of God, none other than the gate of heaven. (H. F. Henderson, M.A.)
Union of gladness and goodness
It demoralizes life and religion to believe that God does not desire the happiness of His creatures, just as surely as it demoralizes life and religion to imagine that He has no higher aim for them than that they should be happy. It was a wise, as well as a Scriptural, answer which was given to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism as to mans chief end. Mans chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever. It is not without reason that spiritual life and blessedness are always in some form joined together; for goodness and happiness were not meant to be divided. Culture and restraint. (Hugh Black.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. The voice of rejoicing] Formerly there was nothing but wailings; but now there is universal joy because of the salvation-the deliverance, which God has wrought for us.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The voice of rejoicing and salvation, of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the salvation and deliverance which God hall wrought for me, is in the tabernacles of the righteous; partly because they clearly saw Gods hand in the work, and therefore took pleasure in it; and partly because all good men suffered great inconveniences under Sauls government, as David complains in divers of the foregoing Psalms, and expected and received singular benefits by Davids advancement, both in their civil and religious concernments.
The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly: these are the words of that song of joy and praise now mentioned.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. rejoicing and salvationthelatter as cause of the former.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous,…. In all the dwellings of good men, throughout the land of Israel, was heard nothing but the voice of joy, on account of David’s accession to the throne; the deliverance of him from a persecuting Saul, and of them from his real administration; and the victories David obtained over all his enemies: for, “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice”, Pr 29:2. And still much more occasion is there of joy, in the dwelling places of the saints, though but cottages, and in the churches of God, the tabernacles of the most High, on account of the spiritual and eternal salvation Christ is the author of which joy is inwardly felt in the heart, and outwardly expressed by one saint to another; and in vocal prayer to God, and in singing his praises; which may be done in the houses of the saints, as well as in the house of God. What this voice, or the righteous with their voice, expressed in each of their dwelling houses, is as follows; for the word “saying” may be supplied, and the words connected thus:
[saying], the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly; or “acts powerfully” b; in helping and assisting David, in protecting and defending him, in raising him to the throne, and in giving him rest from all his enemies; and so in supporting the Messiah, his antitype, as man and Mediator, in his work and under his sufferings; in raising him from the dead, and exalting: him at his right hand; and which was done with his right hand, Ac 2:33. Jarchi refers this joy here expressed to future times, the times of the Messiah: and in an ancient c writing of the Jews the right hand of the Lord, three times mentioned in this verse and Ps 118:16, is interpreted of the Messiah, the sort of David.
b “agit strenue”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator so Cocceius. c Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Numb. fol. 64. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. The voice of shouting and salvation is in the tabernacles of the just. He affirms that the kindness which God had conferred upon him was so extensive, that it would not do to render thanks to him privately. In the benefits which he had received, God’s power appeared both remarkable and memorable, and the fruit of it also was extended to the whole Church. Therefore, as David’s deliverance was wonderful and advantageous generally to all the godly, he promises that he would make a public thanksgiving; and invites them to join him in this holy exercise. By this circumstance, he chiefly aims at magnifying the grace of God, and also by its effects to demonstrate, that not merely his individual preservation, but that of the whole Church, in his person, was accomplished. Intercommunion among believers does, indeed, bind them alternately to render thanks to God for each other; in David’s case, there was the specific reason which I have mentioned, his wonderful preservation from many deaths, and his having assigned to him the sovereignty of God’s chosen people. It is worthy of notice, that he combines the voice of joy and gladness with the praise of God, by which he shows that believers ought to mingle with their mirth a sense of the grace of God. To do valiantly, is tantamount to a magnificent display of his power, so that there may be a bright manifestation of its effulgence. God ofttimes secretly, and when apparently feeble, grants deliverance to his faithful people, that they may be sensible that it comes from him; but this is not so well known to others. Here, however, David asserts that the operation of God was so plainly developed, no one could doubt whence his safety came. The other phrase, that the right hand of God was exalted, refers to the same subject, because, by working powerfully and unwontedly, God had exalted his hand.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(15) In the tabernacles of the righteous.Whether we are to see an allusion here to an actual encampment, as the context seems to indicate, or whether tents are put poetically for dwellings, depends on the view taken of the date and occasion of the psalm.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Tabernacles Or tents, poetically for dwellings. The exiles had recently kept the feast of tabernacles, (Ezr 3:4,) and probably most of them still dwelt in tents until their old homes could be rebuilt. Righteous, here, applies to the true Israel, as opposed to the world who are not in covenant with God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 118:15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Ver. 15. The voice of rejoicing, &c. ] q.d. Though themselves are but travellers, and their habitatious tabernacles or tents; yet are they not without the joy of their salvation, which is unspeakable and full of glory; so that they go merrily on their way, feeding on this honeycomb (as once Samson), and God’s statutes are their songs in the house of their pilgrimage, Psa 119:54 .
The right hand of the Lord, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 118:15-18
15The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the Lord.
18The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Psa 118:15 The sound of joyful shouting See Exo 15:6; Exo 15:12.
tents of the righteous This is a historical allusion (or dead metaphor) to the wilderness wandering period, which was always idealized in Israel’s traditions as the courtship between God and His people.
Psa 118:15-16 The right hand of the Lord This thrice repeated phrase emphasizes in anthropomorphic terms (see SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (ANTHROPOMORPHISM) ) the power, presence, and willingness of God to act on behalf of His people in time as well as eternity. See SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND .
The term left hand denoted weakness and is never used of God’s activity.
Psa 118:17 I will not die, but live This may be an emphasis on national survival but used in the sense of an individual.
And tell of the works of the Lord This refers to verbal praise in the temple (cf. Psa 9:14). This was a way of expressing both
1. theology about YHWH (cf. Exo 9:16; Psa 96:1-6)
2. personal trust in YHWH (cf. Exo 10:2)
The verb (BDB 707, KB 765, Piel imperfect) denotes recounting the saving acts of YHWH (cf. Psa 40:5; Psa 73:28; Psa 78:3-4; Psa 79:13; Psa 107:22). This retelling of YHWH’s acts
1. educates the next generation of faithful followers (cf. Deu 4:9-10; Deu 6:7; Deu 6:20-25; Deu 11:19; Deu 31:13; Deu 32:46)
2. evangelizes the nations (cf. Deu 4:6)
Psa 118:18 The Lord has disciplined me severely This implies that the people of God, symbolized here as an individual, will go through extremely hard times because of their sin and unfaithfulness. It is also an emphasis on the fact that God is in control of history. These things are not simply meaningless happenings, but have historical purpose in moving toward ultimate conclusion and the victory of God. See Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan.
The individual and corporate aspects can be seen in
1. use of two singular imperfects used in a cohortative sense in Psa 118:19; Psa 118:28
2. use of two plural cohortatives used in Psa 118:24, note Hiphil plural imperative at Psa 118:29
Also note that disciplined me severely is an infinitive absolute and a perfect verb of the same root (BDB 415, KB 418), which denotes intensity (cf. same form but different root in Psa 118:13).
God does discipline His children (cf. Deu 4:36; Deu 8:5; 2Sa 7:14; Job 5:17; Job 33:19; Psa 73:14; Psa 94:12; Psa 119:67; Psa 119:71; Psa 119:75; Pro 3:11-12; Jer 31:18; 1Co 11:32; Heb 12:5-11; Rev 3:19).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
tabernacles = tents, or dwellings. Hebrew. ‘ohel. App-40(3).
The right hand. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6.
doeth valiantly. Figure of speech Coenotes (App-6), repeated in Psa 118:16.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a New Way in a New Day
Psa 118:15-29
As we draw near the mellowing light of the sanctuary we see more deeply into the divine meaning of our experiences. In Psa 118:13, Thou [the enemy] didst thrust sore at me, but in Psa 118:18, The Lord hath chastened me sore. Our Lord and His Apostles made much use of Psa 118:22. See Mat 21:42; Act 4:11; Eph 2:20; 1Pe 2:4-7. It probably refers to an incident in the building of the Temple, when a rejected stone was sought for to complete the structure. Its rejection and recovery were the Lords doing, as a parable of other and more momentous events.
Psa 118:27 is peculiarly beautiful. As soon as God gives you light, make use of it for a fuller consecration and be renewal of sacrifice. New light means the discovery of fresh opportunities for divine service. Let light and life keep step! Pass from the altar to the Cross, at which Jesus stands to welcome and endorse your new act of surrender. Behold there the golden cord of love, the silver cord of hope, and the crimson cord of his redeeming sacrifice for you. The confession of such a life will be that God is good, that His service is bliss, and that His mercy never fails.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
voice: Psa 30:11, Psa 30:12, Psa 32:11, Psa 33:1, Psa 119:54, Psa 119:111, Deu 12:12, Isa 51:11, Isa 65:13, Act 2:46, Act 2:47, Act 16:34, Rev 18:20, Rev 19:1-5
the right: Psa 44:3, Psa 45:4, Psa 60:12, Psa 89:13, Psa 98:1, Isa 51:9, Isa 51:10
Reciprocal: Exo 15:6 – right hand Num 23:21 – the shout 2Sa 21:22 – fell by Psa 20:5 – rejoice Psa 21:1 – in thy Psa 27:1 – salvation Psa 63:5 – with joyful Psa 149:5 – the saints Pro 29:6 – but Hab 3:18 – I will rejoice Luk 1:51 – showed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 118:15-18. The voice of rejoicing and salvation That is, of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the deliverances God hath wrought for them; is in the tabernacle of the righteous Because they clearly see Gods hand in the work, and therefore take pleasure in it. There is a noise of them that sing for joy, says Dr. Horne, in the camp of the saints; the church militant resounds with thanksgiving and the voice of melody; paradise is restored below, and earth bears some resemblance of heaven, while these transporting hymns are sung in honour of our great Redeemer. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly These seem to be the words of that song of joy and praise now mentioned. The right hand, &c., is exalted That is, hath appeared evidently, and wrought powerfully and gloriously on our behalf: for what difficulty can stand before Gods zeal and omnipotence? There is a spirit, as well as strength, in all his operations for his people. I shall not die By the hands of my enemies that seek my life; but live, and declare the works of the Lord That is, I shall live a monument of Gods mercy and power; his works shall be declared in me and by me; and I will make it the business of my life to praise and magnify God, looking upon that as the end of my preservation. Indeed, it is not worth while to live for any other purpose than to declare the works of God, for his honour, and the encouragement of others to serve and trust in him. Such as these were the triumphs of the Son of David; in the assurance he had of the success of his undertaking, and that the good pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
118:15 The {g} voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
(g) He promises both to render graces himself, and to cause others to do the same, because in his person the Church was restored.